Miege girls fall to Springfield Kickapoo

Source: The Star

CHRIS OBERHOLTZ | The Kansas City Star

St. Thomas Aquinas’ Nelly Weledji went up for two against Liberty in the Saints’ 46-26 victory Friday at the Hy-Vee Shootout.

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Bishop Miege coach Terry English had seen the signs of weariness throughout the week at practice. And the players’ exhaustion showed during the fourth quarter in a 57-48 loss to Springfield Kickapoo on Friday night.

Kickapoo snapped an 18-game winning streak by the defending champion Stags — a run that dated to last season’s Kansas Class 5A state title — by taking the most vital quarter. Miege led 41-38 entering the fourth period, but the team went ice cold from the floor, making just one field goal in the final 8 minutes. The Stags also missed six of 10 free throws.

“We looked tired for some reason,” English said. “We were a step slow it seemed like.”

Junior Shandelyn Stewart led Miege with 20 points and saved the Stags from going without a field goal in the fourth quarter with her baseline three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining.

BV North 57, St. Teresa’s 46 Blue Valley North depended on the inside game of junior Erin Boxberger against St. Teresa’s in the Shootout’s opening game.

Boxberger, a 5-foot-11 forward, scored a game-high 24 points.

The last time these teams met on Dec. 8 in the Blue Springs/Blue Springs South tournament, BV North held off a St. Teresa’s rally for a close win. On Friday, the Mustangs controlled the game from the beginning and never trailed.

Avila University has seemed liked a second home to the Mustangs. With Friday’s victory, BV North has won nine of 12 appearances at the Hy-Vee Shootout.

St. Thomas Aquinas 46, Liberty 26 St. Thomas Aquinas’ defense made it nearly impossible for Liberty to score. Or so it seemed, especially in the third quarter when Liberty went scoreless throughout the entire 8-minute session.

While leading 23-12 after halftime, the Saints, 3-1, already owned the momentum. But they appeared to have even more spirit and fight as they began the second half. Electing to press, the Saints jumped into passing lanes, stealing the ball on three straight Liberty possessions early in the third quarter.

As Liberty struggled to create offense, Aquinas executed with sharp precision. On one play, junior DaShawn Harden threw the inbounds pass near the team’s goal as junior teammate Nelly Weledji got open directly under the hoop for the layup. A moment later, Weledji’s jump shot, in which she head-faked a defender out of position, gave Aquinas a 20-point lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, Liberty finally scored at the 6:58 mark of the fourth quarter.

SM West 62, O’Hara 42Shawnee Mission West junior Lizzy Jeronimus played her unconventional game in leading her Vikings to their second overall win.

Jeronimus, a 5-foot-11 left-handed forward, would rather turn a typical layup into a scissor kick, double-clutch circus shot. That’s not such a bad thing, considering that those attempts aren’t just for show since she makes so many of them. Jeronimus finished with 15 points on six-of-12 shooting.

Despite O’Hara’s height advantage inside — the Celtics start two 6-2 players — SM West controlled the paint with 28 points.

@ Go to KansasCity.com for a photo gallery from Friday’s games and Varsity Zone, our home for high school sports.

submitted by CANDACE BUCKNER - 2009-12-18 23:14:01